Some Gruesome California History
Labeling themselves “pioneers”, as has happened many times in North American History, groups of people committed vile acts on very ancient redwood trees. They did not spare either the Coastal Redwoods (Sequoia sempervirens) or the Giant Sequoias (
Sequoiadendron giganteum). Evidence for both can be found in various parts of California and parts of Oregon. If you visit the Calaveras State Park in Northern California, you’d be brought to tears at the thought that said “pioneers” cut down a Giant Sequoia, and danced on its stump in celebration. To add insult to injury, when the bark was sent to the East Coast, it was considered a “fake”.
Big Ideas in Conservation
With terms like Climate Change, Anthropocene and the Sixth Extinction becoming commonplace terms, there is a growing sense of urgency that some really “big” solutions, extraordinary in scale and impact will be needed to help conserve the planet and its resources.
One such idea is cloning. And yes, it is similar to Jurassic Park, proving again, what a remarkable science fiction author, the late Michael Crichton was. When it comes to animals, scientists are rushing to preserve DNA from species rapidly going extinct, such as various subspecies of Rhinoceros. The goal is that some day genetic engineering will progress enough that large mammals can be cloned and brought back to life in a manner of speaking.
The Redwood trees in this case, have already been cloned and planted! These actions were possible through zealous conservationists and arborists, a father and son team of the Archangel Ancient Tree Archive. You can read more in the article linked below.
A Promising Development
This is definitely a promising development for the cause of conservation. And perhaps one day, we can see this happen with animals too. It is important to remember that we will not get this lucky with most species, and that conservation, rather than rewilding and reestablishment should be the primary goals in protecting Earth’s resources.
Reference:
- The Yale 360 Article: https://e360.yale.edu/digest/arborists-have-cloned-ancient-redwoods-from-their-massive-stumps
- The Archangel Ancient Tree Archive : https://www.ancienttreearchive.org/